You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Daily Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

30 Mar 2009 : Column 941W—continued

Departmental Buildings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what properties (a) her Department and (b) its agencies have sold in each of the last five years; and how many have been sold for housing developments. [265118]

Mr. Woolas: The Home Office including its agencies leases the majority of its estate. However Horseferry House London SW1 was sold in July 2005 for office use, and as part of the PFI for 2 Marsham Street London SW1 surplus land was sold in May 2004 for housing and other purposes. The former RAF Coltishall was transferred to the Ministry of Justice in 2008.

Departmental Contracts

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the monetary value of new external contracts let by Home Office Research, Development and Statistics to (a) institutions supported by higher education funding councils and (b) other organisations and bodies was in each financial year since 2001. [259861]

Jacqui Smith: Table (a) gives the total costs, based on centrally held management information, of new contracts let by the Research, Development and Statistics Procurement (now part of Science and Research Group Procurement) group within the Home Office since 2001. From 2007-08 the values exclude research that was transferred to the Ministry of Justice as part of the machinery of Government changes. The values are classified into the year the contracts were let; some of the costs for the contract would be for future years.

 Value (£)

2001-02

12,657,116

2002-03

17,758,993

2003-04

20,139,267

2004-05

10,334,876

2005-06

4,439,257

2006-07

14,589,931

2007-08(1)

16,925,401

2008-09(1)

2,858,229

(1) 2007-08 and 2008-09 exclude Ministry of Justice

Table (b) gives the total costs of new contracts let by the Research, Development and Statistics Procurement group within the Home Office since 2001 to institutions supported by higher education funding councils. The values are classified into the year the contracts were let; some of the costs for the contract would be for future years.


30 Mar 2009 : Column 942W

 Value (£)

2001-02

9,043,351

2002-03

1,420,941

2003-04

3,297,858

2004-05

3,365,441

2005-06

618,275

2006-07

769,592

2007-08(1)

221,268

2008-09(1)

291,800

(1) 2007-08 and 2008-09 exclude Ministry of justice

Table (c) gives the total costs of new contracts let by the Research Development and Statistics group within the Home Office since 2001 to 'other organisations and bodies' including named individuals. These values may include contracts awarded to individuals who, while employed by an institute supported by the higher education funding councils, are undertaking work in a private capacity. The values are classified into the year the contracts were let; some of the costs for the contract would be for future years.

 Value (£)

2001-02

21,700,467

2002-03

19,179,935

2003-04

23,437,125

2004-05

13,700,317

2005-06

5,057,532

2006-07

15,359,523

2007-08(1)

17,146,669

2008-09(1)

3,150,029

(1 )2007-08 and 2008-09 exclude Ministry of Justice

Departmental Pay

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at her Department and its agencies in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008; and how much was spent on such bonuses in each of those years. [249864]

Mr. Woolas: Bonuses to senior staff in the Home Office are awarded each year according to criteria set by the Government, following the recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body. In 2006-07 and 2007-08, the Review Body recommended bonuses should be paid to between 60 and 75 per cent. of senior staff according to performance, with a bonus “pot” of 7.6 per cent. in 2006-07 and 8.6 per cent. in 2007-08. These recommendations were accepted by the Government.

In line with these recommendations, the Home Office awarded bonuses to 158 senior staff in 2006-07 (70 per cent. of the total) and 128 staff in 2007-08 (74 per cent. of a smaller total, reflecting the transfer of staff to the Ministry of Justice). Bonuses were mainly in the range £3,000 to £10,000 in 2006-07 and £6,000 to £17,000 in 2007-08, with a small number of higher bonuses paid to a handful of exceptional performers.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much capital spending is planned to be brought forward by her Department to (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [266290]

Mr. Woolas: As announced in the pre-Budget report on 24 November 2008 £20 million of capital expenditure has been brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 to improve the estates of the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the National Police Improvement Agency,
30 Mar 2009 : Column 943W
developing and installing high technology systems and enhancing intelligence gathering against serious organised crime.

Departmental Standards

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of measuring compliance with its targets under its public service agreements in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [266564]

Mr. Woolas: Measuring compliance with PSA targets is an integral aspect of the Home Office’s performance management framework. The Department does not treat this as an activity for which costs are allocated or monitored separately.

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on the provision of training to Ministers and civil servants in each of the last three years. [266215]

Mr. Woolas: The Home Office is committed to learning and development to enhance capability and further improve its effectiveness.

Figures on training for Ministers and civil servants in the Home Office in each of the last three years are as follows:


30 Mar 2009 : Column 944W

 £

2008-09

(1)14,232,000

2007-08

17,018,000

2006-07

13,161,000

(1 )Latest available.

These figures do not include all of the spend incurred locally on learning and development activities within specific business areas, which could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Detainees: Immigration

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people of each nationality held in immigration removal centres have been detained for more than a year in each year since 2001. [264499]

Jacqui Smith: Information on all persons detained for more than one year is not held centrally and would be available only through the detailed examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.

The following table shows the numbers of persons detained within the UK Border Agency detention estate solely under immigration act powers for more than one year on a snapshot basis as at the last Saturday of each year (i.e. of those detained on that particular day, the numbers of whom had been detained for over a year), from 2001 to 2008, broken down by country of nationality.

National statistics on persons detained solely under immigration act powers on a snapshot basis are published quarterly. This information is published in Tables 9-11 of the control of immigration: Quarterly statistical summary, United Kingdom bulletins which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office’s Research, Development and Statistics website at:


30 Mar 2009 : Column 945W

30 Mar 2009 : Column 946W
Persons recorded as being in detention in the United Kingdom solely under immigration act powers for more than one year( 1) , by country of nationality as at the last Saturday of each year, 2001-2008( 2,3)
Number of persons
Country of nationality 29 Dec. 2001( 4) 28 Dec. 2002( 4) 27 Dec. 2003( 4) 25 Dec. 2004 31 Dec. 2005 30 Dec. 2006 29 Dec. 2007 27 Dec. 2008( 5)

Albania

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Macedonia

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Moldova

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Russia

—

—

*

—

—

n/a

n/a

*

Turkey

*

—

*

*

—

n/a

n/a

*

Ukraine

—

*

5

*

—

n/a

n/a

—

EU Accession States(6)

*

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Other Former USSR

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Other Europe

—

—

—

*

*

n/a

n/a

*

Total Europe

*

*

5

5

*

n/a

n/a

5

Bolivia

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Brazil

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Canada

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Colombia

*

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

*

Ecuador

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Jamaica

—

—

*

10

5

n/a

n/a

10

Mexico

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

USA

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

*

Other Americas

—

*

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Total Americas

*

*

*

10

5

n/a

n/a

15

Algeria

10

5

5

5

5

n/a

n/a

10

Angola

*

—

—

—

5

n/a

n/a

5

Burundi

—

—

—

—

*

n/a

n/a

—

Cameroon

—

—

—

*

*

n/a

n/a

—

Congo

—

—

—

*

—

n/a

n/a

—

Democratic Republic of Congo

—

*

—

*

*

n/a

n/a

5

Eritrea

—

—

—

*

—

n/a

n/a

5

Ethiopia

—

—

—

*

*

n/a

n/a

*

Gambia

—

—

—

—

*

n/a

n/a

*

Ghana

*

—

*

*

*

n/a

n/a

*

Ivory Coast

—

—

*

*

—

n/a

n/a

*

Kenya

5

*

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

*

Liberia

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

*

Libya

*

—

*

—

—

n/a

n/a

*

Mauritius

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Nigeria

*

*

*

5

*

n/a

n/a

10

Rwanda

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Sierra Leone

—

—

—

—

*

n/a

n/a

*

Somalia

—

—

—

*

*

n/a

n/a

20

South Africa

—

—

—

*

*

n/a

n/a

—

Sudan

—

—

—

—

*

n/a

n/a

5

Tanzania

—

5

*

*

—

n/a

n/a

—

Uganda

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

*

Zimbabwe

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

5

Other Africa

*

*

*

—

*

n/a

n/a

5

Total Africa

15

15

10

20

25

n/a

n/a

85

Iran

*

—

—

—

*

n/a

n/a

15

Iraq

—

—

—

—

*

n/a

n/a

10

Syria

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Other Middle East

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

*

Total Middle East

*

—

—

—

5

n/a

n/a

25

Afghanistan

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

*

Australia

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Bangladesh

—

*

—

—

*

n/a

n/a

*

China (including Taiwan)

5

*

*

*

5

n/a

n/a

10

India

*

—

—

5

*

n/a

n/a

5

Malaysia

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

New Zealand

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Pakistan

5

—

5

*

5

n/a

n/a

*

Philippines

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

South Korea

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Sri Lanka

5

*

*

5

—

n/a

n/a

5

Thailand

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Vietnam

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

5

Other Asia and Oceania

*

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Total Asia and Oceania

15

5

5

15

10

n/a

n/a

25

Other and not known

—

—

—

—

—

n/a

n/a

—

Grand Total

35

20

25

45

40

n/a

n/a

150

n/a = Not available. Following a change in the system in which information is collected, published statistics on all persons detained under sole immigration act powers by length of detention are not available for December 2006 and 2007.
(1) Relates to most recent period of sole detention.
(2) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 (— = 0, * = 1 or 2), may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding and exclude persons detained in police cells, prison service establishments and those detained under both criminal and immigration powers.
(3) Figures include dependants.
(4) Figures exclude those detained in Oakington Reception Centre; where persons have been transferred to and subsequently from Oakington, excludes time in detention prior to transfer from Oakington.
(5) Figures are based on management information. This information has not been quality assured under national statistics protocols, is subject to change and should be treated as provisional.
(6) EU accession states: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Next Section Index Home Page